The Sox are 0-5, and they've been outscored 49-12. The relievers continue to suck -- Jeff Bajenaru got knocked around again, Charlie Haeger continues to allow unearned runs at an incredible pace, Chad Bentz can't find the plate. The bats are cold, and the Sox defense has committed five errors in five games.
I'm not worried as much as I'm relieved right now, only because I had originally intended to go to Tucson this weekend. It can't get much worse than this -- while I haven't been able to see any action yet, they're sure boring over radio, and not even John Rooney would help much.
It's not time to panic yet because most of the guys responsible for these ugly results won't be on the team come April. And probably a fair share won't even be in the Sox organization, especially now that the Sox are leaning towards carrying 11 relievers instead of 12,
writes the Sun-Times' Joe Cowley. In light of that, these horrible outings after horrible outings are probably the best gift these relievers could give us Sox fans. Instead of having a guy who might be lucky to pitch an inning a week, we'll be able to carry an extra bat and glove. It seems as though 11 pitchers are what fans here and abroad have been hoping for.
It'll be interesting to see what
The Cheat's LOOGY Survivor odds will look like when he updates them, because if Bajenaru doesn't get his act together, one of them will get in. Here's how I see the field right now:
G IP H ER BB K
Javier Lopez 2 2.1 3 0 0 3
Arnie Munoz 1 1.0 0 0 0 2
Ray Liotta 1 2.0 2 0 0 0
Agustin Montero 1 1.0 1 0 1 0
Indistinguishable Dreck n/a
I'd like to see Munoz get another appearance in before putting him at the top, only because we saw what another outing did to Rusty Tucker and Chad Bentz after a first scoreless outing. Liotta won't likely make the team, but considering how erratic everybody else has been with control, I'm a fan of the zero walks.
Right now, I think that field is the only thing worth keeping an eye on during this first week, as they're pretty much the only ones expected to produce immediate results. Aside from Mark Buehrle's rough outing, the starters have looked pretty good, and the hitters who will be getting the playing time during the regular season are working on their own things.
They did win the World Series last year after a 14-18 spring, and Jon Garland had a terrible preseason before the best year of his pro career, so there's no reason to panic right now. But in three weeks, if Politte, Cotts and Co. are giving up the runs instead of Stephen Randolph and Corwin Malone, and if Brian Anderson's hitting dribblers in key situations instead of Sean Smith, then I'd get a little closer to the candy red button.